Welcome to The Homesteading RD's Blog!
Here you'll find my most most recent blog posts. Explore everything from companion planting and vertical gardening to raising meat birds and water glassing eggs. Don't miss my farm-to-table recipes!
The Best (and Worst) Zucchini Companion Plants
Utilizing zucchini companion plants is an excellent way to maximize the productivity and health of your zucchini plant. Not only that, but picking the right plants could help deter pests like the awful squash vine borer! There’s nothing more frustrating than dealing with that pest. Argh! Alternatively, there are certain plants that aren’t friends with
Canning Maple Syrup for Long-Term Storage
One of the many things that I love about the homesteading world is that there’s more than one way to do just about anything – including canning maple syrup. You just have to play around with a few methods until you find what works best for YOU. I’m going to teach you MY way of
The 22 BEST Homesteading Books
If you’re looking for the BEST homesteading books to expand your skill set and prepare for anything that may come your way, look no further! I’ve been building up my homesteading book collection for 15+ years, and the 22 books discussed below are the KEY ones that have helped me become the homesteader that I
The 7 Best Meat Chickens for Your Homestead
What are the best meat chickens to raise? There are a lot of different breeds out there to choose from, each having its own pros and cons. It can be overwhelming, and the last thing you want to do is invest in a breed and end up disappointed. Some breeds grow fast and inexpensively, yet
How to Test Seed Viability at Home
Have some old seeds lying around? You’re probably wondering if they are still good for planting or not. We’ve all been there! No one wants to wait around for dud seeds to fail when you’re following a seed-starting timeline. Not only is it disappointing, but as a zone 4A Minnesota gardener, our season is way
How to Predator Proof Your Chicken Coop
I’ve lost A LOT of chickens to predators over the past 10 years, so I’m going to sound like an awful chicken owner in this article. However, that’s why this article is going to be SO incredibly helpful for you. I’ve dealt with intense predator pressure over the past 10 years and have overcome each